departures

As all of these new and wonderful people are arriving at post, we are losing people too. This season's departures are the most devastating since Yuting left for Hong Kong.

Nickie is leaving this month to work for a few months in the States before she and Troy head off for Paris, where he is posted next. She staged, as a farewell, an extremely rockin', all auto-ricksaw, Chennai photo scavenger hunt. It amused us all for a day and memories of it will amuse us for a lifetime. My team came in last, but I think that Hilary and I had the most exciting adventure.

Phil and Nyda, my movie-watchin' buddies, are also leaving. Happily though, they are on Chris' flight in mid-October, so I will see them in DC very soon. The office, however, will not be the same without Nyda at the helm. I shudder to think how difficult it is going to be to recover from her absence.

Though it is sad, this is the Foreign Service. Not only do we have to get used to it, but we can all take comfort in the fact that we will certainly see each other again, in Washington, in the hallways of FSI.

Bye guys. I will miss you.